Ouch, I Hit a Speed Bump!

Changing your life is hard. There is never a good time to make a life change, big or small. We are always too busy, tired, stressed, and overwhelmed to commit to serious growth and improvement. We are, therefore, forced to jump in when we know we are not totally ready to commit to the change. We have to start sometime because there will never be a perfect time. Inevitably, we will hit some pretty big speed bumps. The question becomes: what should you do when you run head-on into a real hard one?

The answer: pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and continue to move forward. I am reminded of a line from Finding Nemo, "Just keep swimming." Like Dory, you need to keep going even when it's hard. You persist even when success seems unlikely. Even though everything in your being is telling you to quit, you can and should keep moving forward in order to achieve your goals. If you do carry on, you won't be sorry.

I recall the dozens of times I have tried to implement a new workout routine in my life. Here's how it goes: I decide to start on a Monday. I make it to the gym like I planned and I feel good. On Tuesday I am really tired but I still go. By Wednesday it is getting really hard to keep up with the routine. On Thursday I am exhausted from a late night on Wednesday. Friday I would rather go out with friends than go to the gym. I decide to take the weekend to relax. By Monday I am definitely not feeling it anymore so I quit.

Imagine how different that scenario could look: On Monday I could have recommitted myself to the process. I could have tried to do better in week two knowing that I would face many of the same struggles I faced in week one. Week two could have been better or it might have been worse. I could get sick in week two. Week three: I could recommit to the regimen that I designed. I could continue to fight against my shortcomings and the challenges of my life and I could begin to see real change in my health, my body, and my life.

We are all going to hit many more speed bumps on the road to life change than we would like (because we would like to avoid them all). The problem is not those things standing in your way; your reaction to those challenges is the solution to finding the real life change that you have always wanted.

How have you responded to speed bumps in the past? What speed bumps are you allowing to slow you down now? What could you to overcome those challenges in order to move forward with the life change that you desire?